Ipswich High School Specia lEducation Department

SPECIAL EDUCATION IPSWICH HIGH SCHOOL

Information for Teachers

This document is designed to assist teachers at Ipswich High School to understand the Federal and state regulations and guidelines. It will assist you in identifying and educating students with special education needs.

The law requires that all special education students be educated in the least restrictive environment, which they have access to all regular education classes and programs, and they receive the appropriate accommodations and assistance they need to be successful.

The special education department and the pre-referral team offer training and consultation to teachers in identifying students with special education needs and in accommodating the diverse learning needs of all students. In addition, we assist with special education teachers, paraprofessionals, and teacher assistants to enhance the ability of teachers to be responsive to all students in the general education classroom.

There is a strong and collaborative problem-solving approach to the pre-referral and referral process at Ipswich High School. Extensive tests and evaluations are employed in the eligibility determination of students, categories of disability and writing an Individual Education plan with measurable benchmarks. Students are regularly monitored and meetings are held at least once a year. Students are an integral part of yearly meetings and the planning of services. There is excellent collaboration with the guidance department and outside agencies for transitional services and postsecondary education and training.

We have a highly qualified teaching and para-profession support staff who provide a variety of options to service the individual needs of students. The approaches include: applying frameworks to special education programs, small group instruction, remedial techniques in writing, reading, support study and organizational skills development, transitional planning, specialized and adaptive technology, counseling and social skills training, vocational, work-study, school to work and life skills programs.

Inclusion strategies are extensive at Ipswich High School and make all courses available to all students. Strategies includes regular monitoring of student progress and individual mentoring by the special education case managers and qualified para-professional staff, collaboration with teachers, behavior plans and extensive remedial instruction.

We have a number of assertive technologies to enhance student learning (Kurzweil reading, voice activated computer and Inspiration software). The special education teachers and staff are available to assist you with this technology to enhance learning.

The special education department services 80 to 90 students a year. There are extensive resources available to special education students with qualified teachers and staff services providers to implement services. There are currently four highly qualified teachers. In addition, there are eight para-professions and an occupational therapy assistant (COTA). Additional support staff include: occupational therapist, speech and language therapist, physical therapist, school psychologist and adjustment counselor.

To see a current list of our courses, click here .

Click here to see a presentation on our program. It provides additional detail on all the services that we offer.

Individual Education Plan (IEP)

The IEP is a legal contract between the school district and the parent.

The IEP is a legal contract between the school system and parents. The goal of the IEP is to identify the needs of the individual student and the services the school district will provide to address the specific needs. The specific goals are written with the expectation that they can be achieved by the end of the IEP date or annually.

IEP Process

The IEP process is centered on three key points:

The involvement and progress of each child with a disability in the regular education curriculum, addressing the unique needs of the student and services necessary to ensure progress;
The involvement of parents, students, special educators and general educators in meeting the individualized educational needs of students with disabilities;
The critical need to prepare students with disabilities for independence and employment and other post-school activities.

Teacher’s role;

Regular Education teachers are vital participants in the development, review and revision of the IEP. As the experts on the general curriculum, their knowledge of the curriculum and how to modify the curriculum is vital to ensuring that a student participates in the general education environment and that a student makes progress in the general curriculum.

The intent of the IEP is to ensure that all students are challenged to excel, progress within the general curriculum and are prepared for independence in adult life, including post-secondary education and/or employment. The IEP describes how the student learns, how the student best demonstrates that learning and how the school staff and student will work together.

Important information for teachers;

You will receive a new, signed Individual Education Plan (IEP) or 504 Accommodation Plan for each student which has a disability in your class. The IEP is monitored by specific special education teachers. You will be given a list of the special education teachers and the students they are monitoring. Teachers and/or the Program manager are available to answer any questions you have about the plan, specific disability or specific services.

It is important that you maintain the IEP in a locked file.
The accommodations and modification on each IEP mustbe implemented.
Each IEP need’s to be returned to the Special Education Office at the end of the semester or quarter class so that they can be given to the student’s new teacher.
504 Plans are monitored by the guidance department.

Eligibility determination:

If you are concerned that a student in your class may have a disability: Ipswich has an effective pre-referral Team that is chaired by the Assistant Principal. The purpose of this Team is to assess the current difficulties and to offer instructional support and strategies that you can use in your classroom. The results of each attempted strategy will be documented and placed in the student’s record. If a student is subsequently evaluated to determine eligibility for special education, documentation of instructional supports that have been tried will be made available for review by the Team.

Pre-referral Procedure:

If you have concerns about a student, write them in a brief memo to the Assistant Principal and chair of the Pre-referral TEAM. Include your concerns copies of work samples and any strategies that you have tried. The TEAM will contact you to conduct an evaluation, make recommendations and give instructional support. This TEAM will determine if additional testing and evaluations are necessary and if a referral for eligibility for special needs is required.

Note: A parent can always refer directly to the Special Education Office. In this case, it will be important for you to put in writing your specific concerns and steps you attempted to deal with the concern. This will help determine assessments that will be needed to make a determination of need..

If you have any questions concerning a student and concerns about eligibility, please call the Special Education Office.

Teacher Educational Assessment Form;

The Special Education Office will send you an educational assessment form to fill out for every student being evaluated for eligibility. This will occur for two different meeting

Initial evaluation of a student with suspected of a disability.
Every three years, a student with special needs is re-evaluated for eligibility.

It is important to fill this form out as soon as possible and return it to the Special Education Office. A copy of the form (Educational Assessment Part B) is available by clicking here: .

This form is important because:

Your input is critical in determining specific tests that may be required to evaluate the student in all areas of suspected disabilities’
This form, along with all the test that are completed goes home to the parent two days before meetings that they can be adequately prepared for the meeting and be an integral part of the meeting
It is important that the TEAM understands how the student is doing in your class, specific curriculum issues that you feel need to be addressed including the student’s strengths, social skills and ability to participate in cooperative learning experiences. Please note any modification to the curriculum you feel will enhance the probability of the students’ success.
In addition, please note any modifications currently on the IEP plan that are being used: are the modifications helping the student or are any modifications not needed or being used by the student.

Special Education Team Meeting:

There are three different meetings required by law.

Initial Evaluation:

This meeting is to determine eligibility for special needs. An eligibility determination is made by the Team which includes all professionals which have tested the student, parents, the student and regular and special education teachers. The Team relies on a variety of assessment materials when determining eligibility for special education. Regular Education teachers’ assessments of a student’s progress in the curriculum standards are very important.

To be eligible for special education services, a student must first be found to have a disability. Team members identify the type of disability after carefully discussing the evaluation data and determining if an educational disability exists.

For reference on disabilities, go to: http://www.doe.mass.edu/sped/definitions.html)

The Team must make a judgment on whether the student is making effective progress in the general education program. When considering if the student has made effective progress, the Team specifically looks at whether the disability results in an inability to make progress.
The final question to ask is: Does the student require special education in order to make progress? Special education is defined as specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs of the student or related services that are necessary to access the general curriculum. Specially designed instruction means that there is a need to adapt the content, methodology, delivery of instruction and/or performance criteria in order for a student to make effective progress. If the student only requires accommodations, then that student is not considered eligible for special education. A copy of the Eligibility Determination form is available here .

Re-evaluation Team Meeting

This is an eligibility meeting. Special education students are re-evaluated at least every three years (more frequently if needed). At the reevaluation, the Team determines the existence of a disability and then must decide whether the student would continue to make progress in school without the continued provision of special education services.

Note: If the teachers, parents or the student feels that the student may no longer require special education services, a reevaluation with current and complete evaluation data must occur before making determination of no eligibility for special education services.

Annual Review Team Meeting.

Special education students have an annual review meeting. The purpose is to determine if they accomplished their IEP goals and objectives and what services and modifications are currently used to ensure success. The Team evaluates current academic and social functioning and develops new goals and objectives and services that are required to ensure success. We strive to write measurable goals that the student can accomplish by the end of the IEP. Regular and special education teachers as well as any related service providers and guidance counselors are very important to developing the new IEP goals and objectives.

Note: The department will make every effort to schedule the meeting during directed study times and will provide you with a teaching assistant to monitor your class while you are at the meeting. You do not have to stay for the whole meeting if you have other responsibilities.

Teachers, parents and staff can request a progress meeting at any time if they have any concerns.

Manifestation Determination Meeting

This is an emergency meeting for a special education student who has accumulated 10 suspensions or is near accumulating 10 suspensions. The Team must answer specific questions concerning the reason for the suspension, whether the suspensions are related to the students disability and if the current (IEP) has been implemented. The department and the administrative staff try to anticipate, evaluate and address specific issues around suspensions so that this meeting rarely occurs.